Sweet Cream

I am a big fan of flavored coffee creamers.  Amaretto, Creme Brulle, Irish Cream--you name it, and I'll stick it in my cuppa joe.  Unfortunately, the commercial creamers that I adore are "non-dairy".

Ummm...that's a little creepy.  I mean, it looks like cream, it pours like cream.  What is it, exactly?

Reading the label is not helpful.  I don't know what 99% of that crap is, nor can I pronounce it, and it sure doesn't sound like it came from anything in nature.

So for a few months now, I've been taking my coffee with a dollop of organic whole milk and a spoon of organic sugar.  Not bad, but not "flavor-filled" either.

Then the Oracle spoke and lo and behold, one of my friends on Facebook posted a link to a recipe for homemade flavored coffee creamer.

Cue angelic choir.

Being the intrepid internet-recipe-tryer-outer that I am (side note: make BLT Dip for your next party--seriously good), I had to give it a whirl.  And as any day is a good day to try out coffee creamer, I whipped up a batch while my coffee was brewing in the ol' French Press.

Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer

For the base,  you'll need one pint of heavy cream or half-and-half, one small can of sweetened condensed milk, and the flavoring of your choice.  I used three teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.  You can add coconut extract, chocolate sauce, almond extract, allspice--whatever flavors make you happy and you want to add to coffee, go for it.

Whisk together the cream and condensed milk.  When combined, add your flavoring and whisk to incorporate.  Pour into a jar or whatever container you'd like to store your creamer in, and pop into the fridge.  This will expire whenever the cream you've used is set to expire--it's not indefinitely good like the faux stuff.

My verdict:  It is good, very flavorful in a more natural way, has a nice consistency AND makes for a snazzy cup of coffee.  It is a little on the sweet side, like all flavored creamers seem to be, so I recommend going lightly with adding it to your coffee.  Also, this is NOT reduced calorie, so if that makes you nervous...well, sorry, but some things are worth it.  I say, drop the diet fad and enjoy your coffee, dang it.